Bruno Sanfilippo
Upon Contact Reworked
ad21 (2015)
Given the never-waning focus among classical music fans on established (and too-frequently, dead) composers, it would seem that the world of modern classical music is one of the most difficult to get a handle on – audiences are left unsure where to even begin, and composers themselves don’t get much attention or many breaks. Meanwhile, except for the occasional article … Read more
Bubonic Bear
Fleshworld
Sloth Tapes (2011)
Over several very under the radar releases (EPs, splits, half lengths, etc.), the dynamic duo that makes up Bubonic Bear unleash Fleshworld on a mostly unsuspecting audience that (despite lots of touring and tons of shows) still have yet to experience the crushing doom-y noise-y sludge that has become this group’s trademark for audience destruction (I always thought of the … Read more
Buck Gooter
100 Bells
Whar Cats Records (2017)
Bizarro punk/noise/rock duo Buck Gooter are releasing their 17th album in the span of 12 years. During all that time and through all the releases, Buck Gooter, now returning with 100 Bells, has not missed a beat. Their music radiates with the same energy as it did on the first day and the primitive sense is as raw as it … Read more
Buck Gooter
Devil Worship
Flannel Gurl (2011)
When I think of Devil worship I think of all the scary stuff from my youth. I think of serial killer known as "The Night Stalker", Richard Ramirez. Perhaps the most famous Devil worshiper of the era, he had a propensity for heavy metal—flashing the horns while in handcuffs—a pentagram tattooed on his palm—and quotes like, “I love to kill … Read more
Buckcherry
Fuck EP
F-Bomb (2014)
As might be expected considering the word can be used in a variety of ways and can make up nearly every word in a still-coherent sentence, there’s a rich history of use of the f-bomb in music. While the word has sometimes been used to prove a point or make a hard-hitting statement (Rage Against the Machine’s “Killing in the … Read more
Bucket Full Of Teeth
IV
Level Plane (2005)
In the year of 2002, Bucket Full Of Teeth released three 7"s on Youth Attack! Records titled I, II and III. Each record was packed with an essay written by one of the three members: Brad, Matt and Will. It was an awesome idea, but also contrived in the sense that they planned to do something musically different, as described … Read more
Buen Destino
Buen Destino
BCore (2023)
Buen Destino is a new hardcore band from Barcelona. It is formed by members and ex-members of a host of other bands, none of which rung a bell. On this self-titled album the band incorporates a big range of influences. Their Bandcamp tells me this album should appeal to fans of Killing Joke, Discharge, Converge, Jesus Lizard, Daughters, Dead Cross, … Read more
Buffalo Moon
Black Magic/Low Tide Moon
Moon Glyph (2011)
At their heart, Buffalo Moon plays whimsical indie pop with a playfulness that is grounded by moments of straight-faced seriousness. Of course, “whimsical indie pop” is among the vaguest descriptions I could give. Delving deeper, the band blends a number of styles, drawing primarily from previous generations. The most notable elements come from the 1960s: bossa nova, samba, a touch … Read more
Buggin
Brainfreeze
Flatspot Records (2021)
Back in the early and mid-2000s, there was a subset of seminal hardcore bands that brought a particular brand of bouncy, youth crew-forward hardcore that was unpretentious but self-aware. I’m thinking specifically of the short-lived groups that were scrappy and unsharpened, that often only played a handful of shows before disbanding and fading into scene lore. The latest offering from … Read more
Build Us Airplanes
All Things Expire
Sell The Heart Records (2024)
Build Us Airplanes covers a lot of ground on this 9 song LP, All Things Expire. It’s melodic punk for the most part, but with distinct elements of emo, post-hardcore and what I’ll call post-screamo, meaning there are somewhat jarring vocal shifts, but minus the blunt aggression. The overall vibe of this record is angry and somewhat somber, while still … Read more
Building Better Bombs
Freak Out Squares
Init (2007)
Init Records is one of the most underappreciated record labels releasing music today. Documenting some of the Midwest's most important punk bands, from The Spirit of Versailles to The Vidablue, the label is consistently on point. I know Steven Init through the great invention of Internet message boards, and the guy is an absolute stand up person. So it still … Read more
Buildings
Melt, Cry, Sleep
doubleplusgood (2012)
Buildings. Two syllables. Direct and immovable. It seems a fitting name for this Minneapolis three-piece and their second album Melt, Cry, Sleep. Their sound is tough to pin to a genre but, make no bones about it, the dudes are angry and loud. There are a lot of familiar elements at play in their work. The shout-speak vocals and headbanging … Read more
Built To Spill
Untethered Moon
Warner Bros. (2015)
Calling Untethered Moon guitar rock is somewhere to start. While the band takes their chops from the 1990s alternative boom, the defining moments of their songs come out of the guitars rather than in vocal styling or rhythmic direction. This record succeeds or fails because of that guitar. (See what I just did there? Now you have to keep reading.)As … Read more
Bulldoze
The Final Beatdown
Trip Machine Laboratories (2007)
The Final Beatdown is a complete discography of New York's kings of beatdown hardcore, thus the title. The release is comprised of a CD, which includes all the band's recorded material and a live set, and a DVD with over an hour of live footage. It's been over ten years since Bulldoze called it quits (they have reformed a number … Read more
Bulldozer
The Hammers
Motherbox (2008)
Sadly this is not a album by recently reformed Italian thrashers Bulldozer but a disc made by a New York band playing bog-standard punk rock with melodic and shouty sing-along choruses. It's hard to get wet and excited over another punk band that has flashes of rock'n roll and sounds like they came straight from the practice room - especially … Read more
Bullet Treatment / It's Casual
Split
Basement (2008)
This split 7" from Basement Records teams up two Los Angeles hardcore veterans for two tracks each: Bullet Treatment and It's Casual. Everything about this record, from the music and the lyrics down to the artwork, screams of the early years of hardcore. Bullet Treatment is back in action again, this time with a new vocalist, Jordan of Vultures United, … Read more
Bulletproof
Dynamite
Ossuary Records (2021)
Bulletproof started out as a band in 2017, playing the underground bar scene in their native Argentina. After a while of playing bar shows Bulletproof started playing with a youth organisation called Speed Metal Army who organise metal shows for the masses over a whole range of metal styles across the country. Polish based Ossuary Records picked up the band … Read more
Bullnettle
Bullnettle
Dirt Cult (2016)
I discovered This Is My Fist at the tail end of the band’s run, which was unfortunate in that I didn’t get to experience new material or live shows. Throughout that band’s material, vocalist Annie Saunders was the clear standout in the group, her ability to make a message connect atop of furious music. Well, it’s been a few years … Read more
